Chapter 719 - 720: Joint Entry

"Well, well, kid. I never thought I’d run into you here. HEH HEH HEH... Are you a gift from the heavens?"

Zhan Shang let out a sinister laugh, his tone cold and chilling. A fiery glint appeared in his eyes, as if he could barely resist the urge to strike.

However, when his gaze swept past Xu Guanglin beside Ye Xuan, as well as Jiang Chonghuang and the others present, a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

"Hmph. Such big words. I wonder who it was that fled in a panic last time, looking like a complete mess." A disdainful smirk touched Ye Xuan’s lips as he faced the murderous Zhan Shang. He sneered, already certain that Zhan Shang wouldn’t dare to make a move here.

Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, a black mist instantly swirled across Zhan Shang’s face, his expression filled with fury. But in the end, he suppressed his anger and said coldly, "I was merely careless last time and fell into your trap. But I will not give up on the things you possess."

Everyone stared at Ye Xuan in astonishment. From Zhan Shang’s words, it sounded like the two had fought before—and Zhan Shang had lost.

How was that possible?

One was a mere Tier Seven Second Layer Martial King, while the other was a powerhouse capable of fighting a Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor. The gap between them was immense.

Under normal circumstances, Zhan Shang could have casually crushed a cultivator at Ye Xuan’s level a thousand times over.

A sharp glint appeared in Xu Guanglin’s eyes as well, and he watched Zhan Shang and Ye Xuan with suspicion. Although Ye Xuan had an illustrious reputation in Celestial Capital Prefecture, his origins were a complete mystery. None of the powers in Celestial Capital Prefecture knew the true background of the Profound Light Pavilion.

However, the major powers of Celestial Capital Prefecture all speculated that Ye Xuan and his people must have come from some powerful faction in the Profound Domain.

Now, the exchange between Ye Xuan and Zhan Shang seemed to confirm this guess.

This only made Xu Guanglin more curious—just which powerhouse from the Profound Domain had produced a genius like Ye Xuan?

"Hmph. If you think you have what it takes, feel free to try and take them. But let me remind you, your identity is rather special. If it were to be exposed... HA HA!"

Ye Xuan laughed heartily. He was now completely certain that Zhan Shang wouldn’t dare reveal his origins.

He had been worried before, afraid that Zhan Shang would reveal he was from the Dream Realm Plain. Once that news got out and others found out, it would inevitably attract the attention of Infinite Mountain.

The Profound Light Pavilion had developed rapidly, but compared to Infinite Mountain, it was still far too weak.

But now, Ye Xuan had realized that when it came to having their identities exposed, Zhan Shang clearly had much more to fear than he did.

If Ye Xuan’s identity was exposed, he would at most attract the attention of Infinite Mountain. But if Zhan Shang was exposed, the entire Human Race would hunt him down. What’s more, Zhan Shang had possessed the body of Qi Cheng, a genius from Infinite Mountain. Infinite Mountain’s hatred for him was likely no less than its hatred for Ye Xuan.

"Hmph, are you threatening me? Believe it or not, I could kill you right now!" Zhan Shang immediately retorted in anger.

"Ha ha, kill me? If you’ve got the guts, then bring it on. I, Xuan Ye, have never feared anyone. You’re just a measly Second Layer Martial Emperor."

Ye Xuan stared coldly at Zhan Shang, disdainfully mimicking his earlier arrogant tone.

Having figured that out, he was no longer afraid of Zhan Shang at all. Never mind that Zhan Shang wouldn’t dare to attack him here—even if he did, Ye Xuan was confident he wouldn’t lose.

So what if Zhan Shang could hold his own against a Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor? Was Ye Xuan supposed to be afraid? Besides, he possessed both the Celestial Fire and the Devouring Martial Soul—two things Zhan Shang feared.

Of course, Ye Xuan couldn’t use these abilities unless it was a last resort. Exposing them would bring enormous trouble.

A ferocious glint flashed in Zhan Shang’s eyes several times, but just as Ye Xuan had predicted, he didn’t make a move.

Soon, the group went back to trying to break the Restriction.

Ye Xuan shook his head in resignation. ’At the rate they’re going with Mu Jin’s method, they might not be able to open this Restriction even after several days.’

Just as Ye Xuan was about to step forward, Zhan Shang snorted coldly.

"This is how you break a Restriction? So slowly... at this rate, how long will it take? What kind of moron came up with this method?"

"You..."

Mu Jin, who was directing everyone’s efforts, was so enraged by these words that he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. If not for the terrifying power Zhan Shang had displayed earlier, he probably would have attacked him directly.

"Am I wrong?" Zhan Shang sneered, stepping up to the Restriction. "Watch me."

He raised his hand, and a black mist surged from the Skull Staff he held. The dense fog instantly enveloped the Restriction above the ruins, causing the originally faint and subtle barrier to become clearly visible to everyone.

Under the black mist Zhan Shang released, dense layers of the Restriction’s light flickered continuously. But under the corrosion of the black mist, they began to melt away, bit by bit. In just a few moments, the mist had broken down the Restriction to a degree that would have taken the others more than an hour of constant bombardment.

What?

Everyone stared at this scene in utter shock, their faces filled with horror.

What on earth was this black mist? How could it corrode the Restriction so quickly? What puzzled them even more was that the black mist released by Zhan Shang seemed to fuse perfectly with the world of this mysterious land, as if the mist itself was a native part of this place.

A deep sense of dread filled the hearts of Jiang Chonghuang and the others.

Ye Xuan’s gaze sharpened.

He arguably understood the Restriction better than anyone else present, so he saw things the most clearly.

Zhan Shang’s black mist seemed to be corroding the Restriction at random, but in truth, it was imperceptibly targeting and eating away at its most crucial points.

’This Zhan Shang was sealed in Ancient Yang City for at least ten thousand years. He’s from the Soul-devouring Race, so how can he be so attuned to this land? That black mist, in particular, seems to have fused perfectly with the surroundings. Otherwise, it could never release such terrifying power.’

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of caution.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a sharp CRACK echoed out. The Restriction in front of them had broken, revealing an opening.

The crowd was dumbfounded. They had worked so hard for the better part of a day on a Restriction that wouldn’t even budge, yet this guy had broken it in less than fifteen minutes?

While everyone was still in shock, Zhan Shang’s figure flickered. SWOOSH! He transformed into a streak of light and shot through the opening into the ruins.

Seeing this, the others couldn’t afford to be surprised any longer. They too transformed into streaks of light and rushed through the opening one after another.

"Young Master Ye, let’s go too."

Xu Guanglin gave a low shout and led the three elders of the Xu family and Ye Xuan through the opening in a flash.

WHOOSH!

A dark aura washed over them, making them feel a slight pressure in their chests. The circulation of the Profound energy in their bodies grew sluggish.

Ye Xuan didn’t dare to be careless. He had already deployed his protective Profound energy the moment he entered.

Despite this, a thick, putrid stench instantly assaulted his nostrils.

The smell was so disgusting that just one whiff made Ye Xuan feel dizzy. It wasn’t that the air was poisonous and the toxins were making him faint; the stench itself was just so overwhelmingly foul that it made one’s head spin.

’What on earth is this place?’

Holding his breath and fighting back nausea, Ye Xuan hurriedly released his Soul Sense into the pitch-black ruins.

"AHH!"

He had just released his Soul Sense when he heard a bloodcurdling scream. After that first scream, like a chain of dominoes, several more cries rang out in quick succession.

The screams were shrill and terrified, filled with a horror so profound it was as if they had encountered the most frightening thing in existence.

"What’s happening?"

Jiang Chonghuang’s angry shout could be heard clearly amid the chaos.

Only then did Ye Xuan’s eyes adjust to the darkness, allowing him to see what was happening in the ruins.

Before them was a flight of pitch-black stairs leading deep into the ruins. A rotten stench emanated from within, like an egg that had been sealed for ten thousand years and was suddenly cracked open.

The twenty-odd Martial Artists who had rushed into the ruins were all gathered here.

However, several of them were covered in bloody pustules. With horrified expressions, they frantically clawed at their own faces, gouging out bloody holes while letting out shrill screams.

They staggered toward the group, but before they could even get halfway, their bodies collapsed heavily to the ground and slowly dissolved into pools of pus.

HISS...

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath. What in the world was going on?

"Those idiots! Everyone, be careful! The air in these ruins is toxic! You must keep your defensive shields up and absolutely must not expose yourselves to the air, or you’ll end up just like them!"

Master Mu Jin shouted in a low, stern voice.

"What terrifyingly toxic air."

The crowd murmured to themselves, their faces pale with shock.

They had instinctively raised their defensive shields upon entering, never imagining that the simple act would save their lives.

Even now, they could feel a strange power slowly corroding their defensive shields, forcing them to continuously channel their Profound energy to keep the barriers from breaking.

Ye Xuan frowned. He felt the corrosive power too, and was surprised to find that he had never encountered this type of energy before.

"Everyone, these ruins are clearly dangerous. Should we really go any further?" a Second Layer Martial Emperor asked, his heart trembling with fear.

Several people had died the moment they entered, which was a terrible omen. Moreover, all of the victims had been Tier Eight Martial Emperors, yet they had been reduced to puddles of pus in moments by this mysterious power. It made him hesitant and unsure of what to do.

Diao Minghuang sneered, "If you’re afraid, feel free to leave. No one is stopping you."

Jiang Chonghuang, however, said gravely, "This mysterious land suddenly connected to the Celestial Yin Valley. It’s incredibly enigmatic, and no one knows its origins. Now that we’ve finally found these ruins and worked so hard to break the Restriction, wouldn’t it be a great pity not to go inside and uncover its secrets?"